People analytics is a data-driven approach to managing people at work. For the first time in history, business leaders can make decisions about their people based on deep analysis of data rather than the traditional methods of personal relationships, decision making based on experience, and risk avoidance. In this brand new course, three of Wharton’s top professors, all pioneers in the field of people analytics, will explore the state-of-the-art techniques used to recruit and retain great people, and demonstrate how these techniques are used at cutting-edge companies. They’ll explain how data and sophisticated analysis is brought to bear on people-related issues, such as recruiting, performance evaluation, leadership, hiring and promotion, job design, compensation, and collaboration. This course is an introduction to the theory of people analytics, and is not intended to prepare learners to perform complex talent management data analysis. By the end of this course, you’ll understand how and when hard data is used to make soft-skill decisions about hiring and talent development, so that you can position yourself as a strategic partner in your company’s talent management decisions. This course is intended to introduced you to Organizations flourish when the people who work in them flourish. Analytics can help make both happen. This course in People Analytics is designed to help you flourish in your career, too.

From the lesson

Talent Management and Future Directions

In this module, you explore talent analytics: how data may be used in talent assessment and development to maximize employee ability. You'll learn how to use data to move from performance evaluation to a more deeper analysis of employee evaluation so that you may be able to improve the both the effectiveness and the equitability of the promotion process at your firm. By the end of this module, you'll will understand the four major challenges of talent analytics: context, interdependence, self-fulfilling prophecies, and reverse causality, the challenges of working with algorithms, and some practical tips for incorporating data sensitively, fairly, and effectively into your own talent assessment and development processes to make your employees and your organization more successful. In the course conclusion, you'll also learn the current challenges and future directions of the field of people analytics, so that you may begin putting employee data to work in a ways that are smarter, practical and more powerful.